Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-04

his letters came his business. He KEEP
his accounts with the utmost precision
and was extremely economical-ht
feared ill health for his children, and
was anxious to leave them all he could.
But he was as generous as he was care.
full, and at the end OF the year he used
TO divide what he considered bis surplus
among his children. The petty econo-
my that struck people most was that OF
paper. He always tore the blank sheet
off letter aud kept every old bill and
manuscript that could afterwards be
used on the back for notes or "copy."
At about 3 he went upstairs, lay down,
and had some one read novel to him
while he smoked a cigarette. When
at work he took snuff. At one
time he renounced tobacco, but
he felt $50 lethargic, stupid, and
melancholy" that he went back TO it
at the end OF n month. At he went
ont for half an hours walk, after which
he worked for another hour Then came
more reading aloud, with more
cigarettes. While the rest Of the family
diued be took light repast--generally
an egg and a slice of meat. In the
evening he played backgammon with
his wife, listened to his fayorite pieces Of
music. and to a final dose of hoyels-not
that he confined his readers to them. On
the contrary, he liked little OF every
thing-bioeraphies, travels, magazine
articles. The only thing he read as lit
tie as he could and with vexation OF spirit
was "that accursed German, the pro-
lixty and obscurity OF which irritated
him greatly. At 10 ..he retired to bed,
but not to sleep, for he was chronic
suaerer-like another great man of his
time who made more noise about it
from sleeplessness and dyspepsia. The
regularity OF life which we have de-
scribed was the condition of his keeping
in anything like tolerable health.
WITH DARWIN AT WORK.
His manner Of work is full OF interest.
He never lost a moment His move
ments, however, were awkward, and II
he succeeded in any delicate dissec-
ton he would remain "mute with adj
miration" at his cleverness. He liked
simple methods and simple instruments,
and was fond OF improyising apparatus
with the village carpenter or locksmlth.
Nothing could be neater than his speci-
mems and bottled germs. He had way
of personifying the objects OF his ex-
periments Every grain" says his
son, of his experiments in termination
Twas TO him little demon trying to
play him trick 10y running off
No experiment was too unpromising for
him to try. He had made, he said, n
host of imbecile" experiments, and
never rejected the most strange ideas.
His extraordinary perseverance Is pro-
verbal. His books were mere tools,
and he had none of the collectors fancy
for them. He would cut passages out
from bulky volumes. In other cases he
would write notes or summary at the
end. The notes and cuttings were after
wards classified in portfolios OF different
colors according to their subjects. His
manner of composition was this lie
took down the portfolio upon the matter
in hand, and after studying it wrote
down a general outline on old scraps OF
paper. This vas written out fair by his
copyist (the village schoolmaster), and
when revised and corrected sent to the
press. 1t was with the first proofs that
the irksome part of his task began.
He added, curtailed, enlarged, con
densed. and altered twice over. Finally
the whole would be submitted to differ
ent members Of his family. The "re-
wise of the "Origin of Species WAS
undertaken by his wife that OF most OF
his other books by one Of his daughters
The literary part of his work was what
gave him most trouble. He would often
be stranded in the middle of n sentence
and say to himself, "Now, then, what Is
it you want to say 2" and then formulate
his answer aloud.
1t seems to me Che saws as If my mind
were the prey of q sort OF fatality which
makes me in the first instance express
myself in a defective or maladroit way,
! At first ! used to be able to think out
my phrases before writing them but
for many years past | found that / gained
time by scribbling off whole pages as
/ quickly rs possible, abridging half the
words and then correcting them at
leisure. The phrases thus scrubbed
down often turned ont better than any |
could have written with reflection.
Latterly Darwin used to dictate, and
he had the gift of going accurately to
the extreme limit Ofhis available strength
he would break off all OF a sudden, say
| ing: 81 can do no more / must stop.
DARWIN WITH HIS FAMILY AND HIS
FRIENDS.
Dnrwin's life was, as we have seen,
one of great seclusion, but ne was not al
all absorbed in his work TO the exclusion
of all other interests. lie was a most
affectionate and indulgent father. lie
writes in a very tender and touching way
of the death of his little daughter Anne,
~ do not think" SAYS his son, "thai
he ever addressed an angry word TO any
OF his children" One day he was talk
| ing politics with one Of his sons,
and argued with unusual warmth.
Next morning about 7 O'Clock
he came into my room. sat down
on my bed, said he had not been able to
sleep for thinking that he had been toe
angry with me, and left me after some
aliceiionate words" He joined in all
his children's games. and was once bribeo
by promise of sixpence on the part Of
a baby boy of four to come and play du
ring one of his hours Of work His man
ner with his friends was charming. hi,
talk was enthusiastic. His generosity &c
fellow-workers and his freedom from the
petty jealousies which so often 'beset
scientific men are too well known to reec
allusion here.
[For the Dispatch.l
Farewell 40 Malone.